


Trace the Stars in your Memories

by syphoner



Category: Zootopia (2016)
Genre: Gen, Memories, Random Encounters, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-26
Updated: 2016-07-26
Packaged: 2018-07-26 20:34:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,710
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7589128
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/syphoner/pseuds/syphoner
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Nick is waiting for Judy to finish work on his day off when he runs into an old friend who's made it big in the world of Zootopia.</p>
<p>Short drabble/one-shot.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Trace the Stars in your Memories

**Author's Note:**

> No reference to my series "Changing the World". Feel free to draw connections as you will or won't (none intended). 
> 
> Comments are always appreciated! I'm a lover of feedback from readers! :)  
> (Also please let me know if the format is confusing or not. Trying out something a little different.)

“Excuse me,” an accented female voice cut through the soft noise of the coffee shop where Nick was waiting for Judy’s shift to end. Nick looked up and had to do a double take. “May I sit down?”

 

Had he passed her on the street, he wouldn’t have given her a second glance. Hair pushed back behind her horns, a modest blue cashmere sweater with little sparkles woven into it, and a pair of cream jeans. Even the coffee in her hand helped her blend into the usual crowd.

 

“Uh… sure. Why not?”

 

“Thank you,” she said, flashing him a smile that was insured for half a million dollars. “Do you remember who I am?”

 

“Hard to forget,” he replied, regaining his composure and plastering his trademark grin on his face. “Especially after meeting you backstage at your last concert.”

 

Gazelle’s smile fell. “So you don’t remember… anything else?”

 

That had Nick puzzled. He couldn’t remember a time when he’d met the famous Gazelle except for at her concert. Though there was something about the way she was dressed…

 

On a hunch, he glanced at her Snarlbucks coffee. Odd that she’d be bringing it into a small, local coffee shop; almost insulting, especially with the aesthetic she was rocking. Didn’t seem like the kind of hipster who would go there, but definitely not homey enough to go to a small café on a regular basis. _Gezzy._ Huh, he hadn’t heart that name since—

 

_“Ugh! They never spell my name right! It’s gha-ZELL, not GI-selle. Why can’t they get it right?”_

 

Nick’s eyes darted back up to the mammal’s across from him, eyes widening and ears pinning back. The smile split her face once again. _“No._ Gezzy?!”

 

_“Well, maybe you should find yourself a nickname that’s easier for them. You know, a lot of these teachers get paid way too little to deal with all the little shits that they get stuck with on a daily basis.” The young fox continued tossing an apple up and down in the air, his feet propped up on his desk, as the gazelle turned towards him._

_“Is that what you did?”_

_“Nah, I tried that once but it didn’t stick; probably for the better that I’m just known as Nick.”_

_“What did you want your nickname to be?”_

_“Piberius. It’s my middle name. But then it got shortened to Pibs, and then someone changed it to Pig, and then the teacher got all upset because she thought we were using it in a mean way. She was a boar, so I guess it makes sense why she was all pissy.”_

_“Well I think Piberius is a very nice name.”_

_“Thanks, sweetheart,” Nick replied, turning to her with a smile on his face and tossing her the apple._

“I was wondering if you’d remember our high school days,” she replied with a laugh. _That_ stirred up some memories. “I remember, you were the one who convinced me to pursue my passion of singing, even though my parents weren’t keen on the idea.”

 

“Yeah, and you helped me come to terms with the fact that it was okay to be different.”

 

_“Hey!” The pack of gangly coyotes looked away from the sloth they were surrounding towards the young freshman that was calling them out. “You leave him alone.”_

_One of the coyotes got a sneer on his face. “Get lost, doe. This is none of your business.”_

_“Yeah,” another one chimed in. “And you don’t want to be testing us… after all, it’s lunch time and we haven’t had any chow yet… or any meat in a while.” A few of them started growling. The sloth in the middle gazed back at her helplessly, as if imploring her to run while she could. Gazelle ignored his warning._

_“What is_ wrong _with you all? We should all be trying to make the world a better place for everyone, where it doesn’t matter if you’re predator or prey, a sloth or a gazelle or a coyote. We’re all beautiful, intelligent mammals, aren’t we?” Her speech might have been more effective if the note of desperation hadn’t crept into the last few syllables._

_“Heh, now you’re just asking for it, bitch,” the leader growled. “Or should I call you a puta? That’s the best word in your stupid language to describe you.”_

_Gazelle stood there, her hooves clenched by her side, but Nick could tell by the slump of her shoulders that she was hurt by the coyote’s words. He figured it was time to step in. And he noticed, of course, that the pack was surrounding his good buddy Flash. Now he couldn’t stand by and let anything happen to_ either _of them._

_He tapped his buddy Michael on the shoulder and motioned towards the scene at the other end of the hallway. The tiger nodded in understanding and fell into step beside the fox._

_The coyotes very quickly noticed the approach of the two predators, and fell silent, but their bristling fur and pinned back ears were enough to make Flash start to cower and Gazelle stiffen up._

_“Now, now, fellas,” Nick began. “I thought we came to an agreement last time. Seems a shame to me to have to… renegotiate it with you.”_

_“You stay out of this, Wilde. We’ve got private beef with the sloth, and_ she’s _nothing to you, so you don’t have a right to come in here and tell us which way is up, just because you’ve got your tiger buddy there with you.”_

_“See, that’s where you’re wrong, Marty. No matter what ‘private beef’ you’ve got with my friend there, it doesn’t matter ‘cause we’re not going to let you hurt him. And for your information, she and I—“ he motioned at Gazelle, who had turned to look at him as he started speaking— “are actually good friends. So she’s also off-limits.”_

_The coyotes growled again, but Michael’s growl cut through the sound like it was just the indistinct buzz of a fly somewhere in the room. They paused for a moment, but quickly scurried off after Michael’s growl deepened in pitch._

_“You shouldn’t have to do that! We should be fighting to live in harmony with each other, not tearing each other down!”_

_Nick shrugged. “Michael’s of the same opinion. But we’re living in Happytown, Gezzy. We don’t really have a choice. It’s either you be the biggest bad, or you get taken out_ by _the biggest bad.”_

_“Maybe someday it will be a reality,” Michael added in his soft, soothing baritone as Nick went to check on Flash. “I certainly hope it will be. That’s what Zootopia is supposed to be all about, right?”_

_“We should all be working towards it, together.” Michael nodded his head in agreement and smiled at the young freshman. She seemed a little naïve, but she was definitely thinking along the right track._

_Nick stepped in just at that moment. “Come on, you two. Milkshakes over at Benny’s Café. Flash said he’s buying.” The usual sly grin was in place on his face._

_“Ha… Ha… Ha…” Flash drawled out sarcastically from the back of the group. “Good… one… Nick. … Maybe… next… time… you… should… treat… the group… Mr. … Pawpsicle… Man.”_

_“Ah, but where’s the fun in that?” Nick asked teasingly._

Nick noticed Gazelle cupping her hooves around her still-steaming drink and gaze down into it happily. “Yes… we had some good times that year… It’s too bad that you dropped out when you were 17; the school was never quite the same without you, though Flash and Michael were always there.”

 

“Yeah, well,” Nick shrugged uncomfortably. “I had some big things I needed to take care of, one of which was to make sure I didn’t go crazy…”

 

A hoof laid on his arm caused him to glance up in surprise. Gazelle’s smiling face was as warm and welcoming as when they’d first met in high school, her in her freshman year and him as a junior. “I don’t want to push you for the details, but I would love to hear your stories. I can’t imagine you would ever be able to go through life without accumulating very interesting ones.”

 

“Oh… uh, well, I…”

 

“I should probably get going now,” she said, removing her hoof and standing up. “But if you’ve ever got a day off to visit a pair of old friends, feel free to contact me and you can come by for coffee sometime. I’m sure Michael would love to see you again.”

 

“I’d like that,” Nick replied after a moment. “It would be nice to catch up with him, and more with you, too. And hey, before you go – are you two still together?”

 

“We are,” she replied happily. “Still performing together for 12 years, still dating after 16 long years… it’s been a dream come true!”

 

“I'm happy for you two,” Nick replied, giving her a genuine smile. She blushed a little bit.

 

“Here, take out your phone. I’ll put my number in your contacts.” Nick got to the contacts page and handed it to her, and a moment later she handed it back with her phone number and email address. She’d included a picture, and the name beside it read _Gezzy_. He chuckled, strangely happy that she was still using the nickname he’d come up with for her.

 

Gazelle moved away from his table just as Judy was approaching. “Who was that?” Judy asked. Nick noticed that she kept glancing at the retreating behind of the famous pop star who – even in the most unflattering jeans – had an ass that just wouldn’t quit. He knew from the way her nose twitched that she was a little jealous of the ungulate’s generous hips.

 

“Just an old friend from high school,” Nick replied with a smirk. “She recognized me and wanted to be close to someone famous.” He glanced down at his phone, where the contact was already saved. This prevented him from noticing the punch aimed his way. “Ow!”

 

“You’ll have to take me to meet her sometime,” Judy replied mischievously. Nick chuckled again and nodded, thinking how something like that could easily be arranged… so long as he never let Clawhauser look through the contacts on his phone.


End file.
